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Thursday, November 02, 2006

Best sushi in Stockholm: Hattori Sushi Devil

Today, let's talk about sushi. I'm not a big fan. Or rather, I wasn't.

Let me elaborate. I've tried sushi several times before, and was never blown away. It was.. ok. Nothing special. Not very appealing, really. Boring.

Miso soup

And then my sister married a sushi chef, Peter. Who, it turns out, is one of the best sushi chefs in all of Sweden. And I'm not just saying this - he really is.

And what do you know? He just opened up his own place. It's called Hattori Sushi Devil, and after two tentative visits where I just popped by to say hello, he said that he was actually starting to get insulted that I never tried his food.

Lena with her whole squid.

So I worked up my courage, and visited for dinner there with Per, Lena and Nico. And wow, am I glad I did. Because now? Full-blown sushi fan. Yes. That's me.

See, Peter's sushi is amazing. Not only is it very fresh (he's one of fairly few chefs that work a la minute, meaning nothing sits and waits for the customer) and of highest quality, it's beautiful and most of all, innovative. Very, very innovative.

Lena with chopsticks

I don't remember all I ate - we each got two huge plates of great stuff, but I'll tell you about some of it. Peter told us all about it, but I was too floored to take it all in, I think. He also said that if we can't eat very well with chopsticks, it was fine to use our hands - and that's what most of us ended up doing.

And yes, I've been back - I had to sneak back on Monday for seconds, it was just that good. And I can't wait for my third visit.

And I have to tell you about the soy sauce. There are three kinds at Hattori Sushi - the regular stuff is in the white bottle. The green bottle has soy flavored with various citrus fruit, and that was my fave. The red one had a very unusual smokey soy, flavored with smoked tuna. It reminded us of whiskey, and the guys really loved it.

My first plate.

My absolute favorite? I'd have to say the squid salad. It's amazing. And the dessert - a vanilla panna cotta with ginger glaze - was just the right thing to finish with.

The panna cotta

So. If you like sushi - or even if you don't - this is the place to go. Tell Peter I sent you - he's the guy in a red chef's uniform.

Hattori Sushi Devil (visit the homepage to find out what the name means)Tegnérgatan 43 (Subway: Rådmansgatan)08-22 44 00

Anne, what a lovely meal. I hope I might get back to Stockholm soon so I can check out your brother-in-law's restaurant. Good sushi is such a revelation. I used to dislike sushi too until I ate some at a really good sushi restaurant. A good sushi chef makes all the difference in the world. How lucky you are to be related to one :).

Oh, I really must must try his sushi soon! I was tempted already when I was there with you but there was no time then... It all sounds so delicious and innovative! And I had a terrible sushi experience at Ikki (California roll without mayo and dry crabsticks instead of crab - yuk) in Kungshallen this Tuesday so I have to regain sushi confidence!

Yes, Anne, most sushi is eaten with fingers. Only sashimi may employ chopsticks or some more complex pieces. Having lived in Japan, I have never seen people eat sushi with chopsticks. My name is Antonia, btw and I love sushi!